Saturday, February 13, 2010

VISITING Eastern and Southern Africa International Pastors’ Forum chairperson Reverend Richard M’bao has said politicians must not be given room to cheat poor souls.

And Rev M’bao has advised that men of God in Zambia who criticise inept governance must be encouraged and their teachings listened to.
In an interview in Kitwe on Wednesday, Rev M’bao who was in the country to attend a conference on strengthening the forum’s Zambian Chapter said politicians must not be given chance to prevail over every governance issue in the country.

He said the general citizenry together with stakeholders who had a mission of uplifting people’s living standards must be given chance to decide the country’s destiny.

“Political governance should be aimed at attaining the common good and not the manipulation of the poor that we see from politicians. They should not be given room to cheat poor souls, that’s why the clergy’s presence in the promotion of human dignity must be felt and respected by politicians,” Rev M’bao said.

He said the international forum of pastors had been following closely the governance issues raised in the past by Change Life Zambia director Fr Frank Bwalya and other clergy.

“Fr Bwalya’s way of evangelisation is timely and purely on giving life to dry bones to live again by speaking for the majority poor hence the need for people holding government power to listen to his message and work towards uplifting the standards of the majority poor,” Rev M’bao said.

Rev M’bao said the pastors’ forum at the international level would not restrict itself to the pulpit but would also speak out on various governance issues and support people who dedicate their lives to the promotion of good governance on the African continent.

“We have heard a lot about clergymen like Fr Bwalya, Fr Augustine Mwewa, Fr Mpasa, Bishop Paul Duffy and many other men of God in Zambia who criticise inept governance. These men of God must be encouraged and their teachings must be listened to and their advice taken seriously if the country is to attain meaningful development,” advised Rev M’bao said.

He said it was saddening that many African governments did not take pragmatic steps to implement suggestions from the church particularly from men of God who had close contacts with the people.

Rev M’bao said this was partly why many countries in Africa had been riddled with challenges such as lack of proper democracy, poorly managed political elections, conflicts, poor health care and poor education.

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